When you get to a certain age, you tend to gravitate towards things that are marketed as anti-aging and with promises of eliminating lines and wrinkles. When I saw this product from one of my trusted brands, Kate Somerville—one of the top facialists in Hollywood, of course, I had to get it.
What is it?
Anti-aging 2-in-1 serum and moisturiser.
What it does
This anti-aging solution is formulated with:
- Hyaluronic Acids(in 3 sizes): Deliver immediate (within 30mins) and long term plumping and hydration while improving the appearance of skin firmness and elasticity. (See my previous post on Hyaluronic Acids)
- Sichuan Pepper: Offers an immediate and visible reduction in the appearance of wrinkles.
- Copper Lysinate/Prolinate, Methylglucoside Phosphate, Adenosine: Boost skin’s own collagen as well as elastin production, results in improved skin firmness and elasticity. Support the body’s natural elastin and collagen, both essential for the creation of smoother, firmer skin.
- A cocktail of humectant/moisturising ingredients: Propanediol, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Trehalose, Betaine, Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate, Polyglutamic Acid, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Caprylyl Glycol
Full Ingredients list
Aqua/Water/Eau, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Glycerin, Polysilicone-11, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Butylene Glycol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Trehalose, Betaine, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate, Polyglutamic Acid, Zanthoxylum Bungeanum Fruit Extract, Copper Lysinate/Prolinate, Methylglucoside Phosphate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Adenosine, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Phenoxyethanol, HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer, Oleyl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, Parfum/Fragrance, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Gluconolactone, Benzyl Salicylate, Citric Acid, Linalool, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Geraniol, Citronellol
Note there are a few fragrance ingredients (marked in bold), so if you are sensitive to them, you should be cautious. Also, there is one ingredient with a high comedogenic rating of 4 (marked in italic), so those who are acne-prone might need to watch out.
This product is Paraben-Free and Cruelty-Free.
Who’s it for
Suitable for all skin types but best for those with dehydration, lines and wrinkles as their key concerns.
Everything else
Packaging
This comes in a silver and pink sturdy plastic bottle with an airtight pump that has a transparent cover to protect the opening. The pump works brilliantly and you can control how much you want to dispense.
Colour, Texture & Scent
The texture of this 2-in-1 serum/moisturiser is exactly that, sits right between a serum and a gel moisturiser with a bit of silicone feel. It’s not runny but it’s very lightweight, easy to spread and quick to absorb. You won’t feel any stickiness or grease at all. The texture actually reminds me of La Roche Posay Cicaplast Gel B3.
This slightly yellow colour concoction has quite a strong scent. Maybe floral? Definitely not light white floral, more like artificial perfume smell. It’s borderline intoxicating to my nose. The smell lingers, I don’t necessarily smell it off my face but my fingers carry the smell until I wash them. I think this is one you might need to go and have a sniff before you purchase. However, if you are already familiar with the Wrinkle Warrior line, then this has the exact same scent profile.
How to use it
AM and PM. Use twice a day. Apply a thin, even layer to face and neck.
Kate Somerville instruction
After cleansing and toning, I typically use about 2 pumps which equate to a pea-sized amount. Sometimes I follow up with a moisturiser straight away, sometimes I leave it for a bit and see how my skin feels and then usually end up applying moisturiser. My skin definitely feels plumped and hydrated, you get that rejuvenated feeling. However, I don’t always feel my skin is moisturised. It doesn’t give me the same feeling as I would from a normal moisturiser.
My thoughts and experience
I have mixed feelings for this product. I really wanted to like it more than I do because the idea of having a 2-in-1 product is great. Not every day is a 10-steps routine kind of day, some days I feel lazy and some days my sensitive skin needs fewer products so it’s not overwhelmed. However, I don’t think this hits the mark as intended. I find that it works very well if I treat this as a serum alone and apply moisturiser as usual afterwards, or treat this as a moisturiser and have all my usual serums beforehand. The former is definitely what I end up doing in most cases. So, at £80/50ml it’s not at the most affordable price point and it really depends if you are able to use this as a 2-in-1 product. If you can, then it’s worth your while. If you are a bit like me, always a follow-up product then it works out quite an expensive serum.
Other ways I’ve tried on its own include applying this only on the eye areas, treating this as an eye cream and as makeup base like a primer. When I only apply this like eye cream, I like how this makes my eye areas feel, hydrated, smooth and awaken. When I use this a primer, it works very well as it feels like a good hydrating primer with a mild silicone feel. Typical hydrating primers are quite liquidy and the matte primers are too heavy in silicones, this gives a very balanced feel which I like. If you want to use this serum as I have just suggested, then you either have a very good value eye serum (Where can you find a 50ml eye product anywhere?), or an expensive makeup primer.
While my skin does feel nice and plumped afterwards, but the strong scent in this is making me nervous about using this on a regular basis. I can’t be sure if the strong scent is an indication of high combined percentages of perfume ingredients. (For perfume, it’s usually up to 0.3%, as we have 7 listed in the ingredients list, that could be 0.7% up to 2.1%) Benzyl Salicylate is related to Balsam of Peru which I’m allergic to, so I take extra caution with products that have this ingredient.
Given that I’m not using this consistently, I won’t be able to comment on any long term anti-aging effect. The result I see is closer to instant gratification. In my mind, you need to go for Retinol for true anti-aging benefits anyway. I see this product as a very good hyaluronic acid serum with a few bonus ingredients that surpass the typical hyaluronic acid boosters on the market. Is it worth the hefty price tag? You’ll be the judge for that.
Available: £80/50ml -UK (SpaceNK | CultBeauty)
Have you tried this before? What is your experience?